Ah, misery.Last semester, I had a student. Let's call him Misogynist Mark. On Day One, Misogynist Mark introduced himself as an endangered specie: The rare White Conservative Christian Male. He said, with no trace of irony, that no American has it worse than the White Conservative Christian Male.
For context, you might have called my class "Weaving Baskets during Genocide."
The rest of my class was a constant struggle to strike a balance of interests. I would call on people during discussion or if they had questions during lecture. When Misogynist Mark spoke, he would ask me point blank what my politics were and if I were one of those Liberal Professors destroying America. I'm not exaggerating. He spoke like he was reading off a Glenn Beck script. Sometimes he would demand to know what church I went to. He complained loudly about how atheists couldn't possibly be good people. He interrupted discussion to plug corporate products. When I stopped calling on him, it fed into his feelings of persecution.
(the fact that he was brilliantly good at essays and exams only further pissed me off)
Predictably, 80% of my class hated him. I failed his participation, I spoke to him outside of class, and he began to change his behavior. But while I tried to balance his being an asshole with allowing some degree of free speech, I alienated a large sub section of my class. One woman felt I was privileging Mark's opinions because I too was sexist and perhaps enjoyed his view of women. Or at least, that's what I found out on the anonymous evals.
Telling the story, it seems to have consumed my class. This is not really the case; I'm just pulling out specific examples about Mark so you can understand. I would say Mark influenced about 10% of classtime. The other 90% was fine.
Anyway, I got my evals. Mark's feedback included multiple plugs for corporations (he claims he gets money from bringing up corporate products in class; I forbade him to do this but he returned to it in the evals of all places). He spoke of the "Liberal Bias" of the book, of his classmates, of me. He talked about how I ought to have been more pro-Christian and less understanding of my atheist and Catholic students. He then evaluated the University itself, from how unprofessional it was that I signed my email with my first name to the dress of his classmates. He described the University as being occupied by "pigs" and the classroom "a celebration of pigsty culture."
The University read the evals too. The Dean of Students has contacted me. What to do with Misogynist Mark? I have two options: either file a formal complaint from my experience, since he was such an aggressive and disturbing student, or just place a note in his file for future instructors? The former leads to disciplinary review and penalties; the latter is a quiet slip in the file for future instructors.
I know not how to answer these questions. Part of me feels a formal reprimand will only enhance his feelings of persecution as a Rare Bird. But then, my friend had him in the Fall and he was similarly awful, disrupting that class in a similar way. So maybe there ought to be some action as this guy burns through all his classes and destroys the learning experience of his classmates.
Miserians. Tell me. What would you do? And feel free to wander into realms of fantasy including violence. Okay, maybe not. But what if he was transferred to Pluto and had to freeze year round? Or woke up one day as a Southern African-American living during Reconstruction? I can dream.
AM
Formal complaint. He has disrupted two classes already, and he is significantly affecting the experience of other students. And I don't really care about his precious feelings of persecution, because he is wrong. He is not a Rare Bird; his kind are in control. What he is experiencing as "persecution" is that unpleasant feeling the privileged get when their privilege is in any way not even threatened - just questioned: hauled out into daylight for discussion. His bruised feelings do not matter here. Everyone else's quite legitimate feelings of unhappiness at having to deal with the disruptive and contemptuous behaviour of an entitled little creep, however, matter a lot.
ReplyDeleteBeing told unmistakably that his behaviour is Not Okay may lose other instructors a disturbing (and disturbed) student, if he decides to respond by indignantly leaving the university; but that will only improve all the other classes he might otherwise have disrupted. Or, he might actually learn something, which was the point of the educational experience, even (perhaps especially) for students like him. Either way, it's a win-win.
There you go, validating his feelings by acting like a typical liberal professor. You're making him look RIGHT. "His kind are in control"? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze. That's typical liberal profspeak and you know it.
DeleteWe could give him jelly doughnuts,
ReplyDeleteTake them all away
Or we could fill his ears with cheese balls
And his nostrils with sorbet.
One of my many secret lowbrow pleasures.
Or, we could take him to Pluto, shove him outside and smash his helmet faceplate. That would give him pretty much eternity to think things over. (Larry Niven, "Wait it Out")
There's no need to smash the faceplate. Space suits usually have an 8-hour supply of oxygen, which would give him just enough time to think.
DeleteBy the way, were you aware that Pluto is in opposition today? No kidding! Of course, this happens every year.
Have you read "Wait it out"?
DeleteThe protagonist commits suicide, by running outside without a space suit. He freezes solid, but Pluto is so cold that during the night periods his nervous system becomes a superconductor. He's conscious, but immobile.
My response to Whiney McBitchalot:
ReplyDelete"Sit your five dollar ass down before I make change!"
"New Jack City" is up there with "Heat".....
Hmm. . .this guy doesn't sound to me like a garden-variety misogynist/foaming-at-the-mouth conservative; he sounds more like someone who is seriously mentally ill, and whose distorted thinking is happens to be expressing itself through a readily-available ultra-conservative filter (or some odd mix; the hyper-awareness of product placement doesn't seem entirely in keeping). (Washington, D.C. has a higher-than-usual proportion of schizophrenics in its street population, because many of them are obsessed with "the government" and so drawn to Washington; I assume that, in earlier or differently-structured societies, the obsessions, and hence the places of gathering, would have been different, even if the underlying pathology was the same; madness, or at least the expressions thereof, are, to some extent, culturally mediated).
ReplyDeleteThe ideal time to file a formal reprimand, if you were going to do so, would have been while he was in your class, preferably before the end of the semester. I'm a bit disturbed by the idea of filing one *after* reading a supposedly-anonymous evaluation (I'm assuming he didn't sign it), even if it's crystal clear to you and anyone else who has encountered him who wrote it. I'm also concerned for your safety if you become the point person on this (see below).
But I agree that he deserves close attention, for his own sake, and for others'. Maybe I'm drawing on my own stereotypes, but extreme conservatives and guns have been known to mix, and he does seem to be in the process of convincing himself that the university as a whole, and its inhabitants, are a locus of evil. Given his Biblical grounding and his apparent madness, it's worth pointing out that the Bible records that Jesus once ordered unclean spirits out of an afflicted man and into a herd of pigs, which then ran off a cliff. That's a Bible verse that I, personally, feel the need to read/interpret with a strong awareness of the specific cultural/historic context out of which it came. He might well not, and the fact that he's dehumanizing you, and his fellow students, by making comparisons to a Biblically unclean animal sets off my radar. If a formal complaint is the only way to get him the attention he needs, then I'd say go for it (but avoid mentioning anything on the evaluation unless he signed it, and/or there's something on there that could be read as a clear threat to himself or others. I don't think the pig comparison quite rises to that level).
The other thing you have to think about is, of course, your own safety. That might be something to talk over with the Dean, and perhaps the University's Psychological Services and Public Safety offices (or similar) in the process of discussing whether you have explored all possible avenues for getting him help. Don't let yourself become the point person for what is, in fact, an institutional problem. He may well focus on you anyway, but I'm not sure you want to stand out in his mind as the person who filed the complaint. Just pointing out those concerns to the Dean (in writing, if necessary), might get him/her thinking more comprehensively, and creatively, about the situation.
Why is this your decision? Shouldn't it be the Dean's? Your Chair? I wouldn't want to have anything to do with a decision to formally complain against this little shit. He'd probably sue.
ReplyDeleteFormal reprimand. He needs to learn that "asshole" isn't a political party. I have conservative students, and I have liberal students, and they get along and share their opinions respectfully. Will he turn this into a prosecution fantasy? Absolutely. Should you care? Absolutely not. He has openly disrespected you and your authority in the classroom (that's an immediate kick-out, in my book); he has insulted other students in the class (women, atheists and Catholics); he has introduced advertising into the classroom (what the what?); and finally he has verbally attacked and abused his peers and his professors (pigsty culture?). Any single one of those would get him kicked out of my class with a long talk before he was allowed back in. A warning accomplishes nothing: a formal reprimand might get him kicked out of school and he can go back and enjoy his rants in private.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this guy seems mentally disturbed and his language is escalating. I'm with Cassandra... he's waving red flags and someone in psych services and public safety should be aware of him.
ReplyDeleteThird vote for a psych eval--these are paranoid delusions and delusions of grandeur. Most college students are the usual age for the onset of schizophrenia and associated symptoms.
DeleteHis feelings don't matter, at least not as much as the learning experience, both for your other students and for him. If you have any specific grievances on him that are clearly against university rules, particularly if these rules are stated in your syllabus, file a complaint.
ReplyDelete(Whenever I'm asked if I'm one of those Liberal Professors destroying America, I say "No." I'm certainly not destroying America: it's flattering to think that I had the power to do so. But then in my youth I served in the U.S. military, which he probably didn't, since they teach respect there. Whenever I'm asked what church I go to, I say, "Whatever one I want, since we're supposed to have freedom of religion in America.")
Milder cases of this can be a big help. I am very grateful to the two quite vocal, young-Earth creationists in my general-ed, Intro Astronomy class for non-majors a few semesters ago. They wouldn't let me get away with any shortcuts, from how we know how old stars are (it's easy, and now a lab exercise), to how galaxies can still collide in an expanding Universe (there can be deviations from the overall flow, in the same way there can be turbulence and eddies in a river, the overall flow of which is downhill), to how radiometric dating really works (again, it's now a lab exercise, by multiplying 2x2 repeatedly). As a result, I have what I like to think is a much more rigorous, intellectually satisfying course.
Cassandra is right: The student is a strong candidate for any number of mental illness, any one of which could make him a danger to himself, and some of which could make him a danger to others.
ReplyDeleteI also like what Froderick said about church attendance. That brings up this question: Did this happen in a publicly-funded university? If so, he needs to know that such an institution, by definition, does not promote any particular kind of faith. So, no professor can teach from a Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish--or, for that matter, atheistic--point of view.
Ew, yeah, formal complaint. You wouldn't hesitate to file a complaint against a lone Occupier who was abusing your other students and disrupting your class, would you?
ReplyDeleteIt is, however, hard to convince college students that you have an obligation to let multiple political perspectives get airtime in your classroom. At any number of institutions, I've had that same problem of students assuming that if I make them read something they disagree with politically, or allow a student to speak from a perspective less well-represented in the classroom, I automatically agree with what's written or said. At that age, students on both the left and the right seem to think that opinions contrary to their own will contaminate them. It's like they are not strong enough yet to grapple with opposing ideas, or to hone their own ideas *against* something. That's different than allowing overtly racist, sexist, homophobic etc. comments in the classroom -- those I tend to intervene on by citing the research that shows otherwise, and/or the offense to other people. So, you want to argue that fiscal conservatism is a good thing? Fine. You want to argue that gays are inherently criminal, not fine.
At any number of institutions, I've had that same problem of students assuming that if I make them read something they disagree with politically, or allow a student to speak from a perspective less well-represented in the classroom, I automatically agree with what's written or said.
DeleteYes, or they believe that all viewpoints need to be represented equally at all times (or as they usually put it, "both sides" need to be heard)--and anything less means that one is "bias."
I'm not fully on board with the idea of probable mental illness but Professor Chiltepin is correct. This guy needs to learn not to be a jerk, regardless of his viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteYou have the evals as evidence that the kid is an asshole and maybe a little nutty and that his behavior affects how other students view you as an instructor. The latter is important for establishing that he is not just annoying you but is truly disrupting the class's learning.
This guy needs to understand that freedom of expression does not equal freedom from response.
DeleteI seem to remember Stella's comment once: "Sometimes it's you."
ReplyDeleteEMH, do you think your situation where you blew up at the students and started to arbitrarily change rules when they got your goat is the same as this?
DeleteJust playing "Dean's Advocate" with this post, that's all.
DeleteArbitrarily change rules? You mean by writing the ground-rules for the exam review on the board (the gist of which being "Thou shalt not leave lest I cover new material")?
I felt that I was setting boundaries.
Are you trying to say I made those rules as a result of "blowing up" at my class? I think it's important to understand the order of events here.
Well, you've certainly had enough experience being called in to the Dean for different reasons to play "Dean's Advocate."
DeleteI don't want to hijack this post and return to your situation (especially because, as you've pointed out, I don't recall the SEQUENCE of events correctly), but I don't see how they're similar to warrant blaming Academic Monkey for a clearly demented student. Or is this just a way to remind people that you were once told it was your fault, and so now you'll tell other people it's their fault, too?
The original poster mentioned brilliant essays. If this really is true, then what does it say about his ethics, which I presume is divine command theory.
ReplyDeleteImagine what would happen if an admirer of Sam Harris's work confronted the ethical theories of the majority of Americans, which would be the typical classroom. I certainly don't respect and tolerate differences in morality, yet somehow I've never been scolded. There's nothing wrong in calling out the Catholic Church as a criminal organization in the sexual abuse of children, calling out the delusional beliefs of, say, the Islamic nations, or American religions that specialize in divine command theory such as Mark the Misogynists's.
But if you do, there's a good chance that Mark will start screaming that he doesn't come here to have his religion insulted. An effective instructor needs to approach with caution.
DeleteI give the (not uncommon) young-Earth creationists in my general-ed astronomy course for non-majors frequent outs, by reminding them that I don't require belief: all they have to do is know why it is that scientists think what we think. They love it: they tell me, "You're so open-minded!"
As far as the Church's abuse of children goes, they'll use the excuse to not blame the religion for what its imperfect followers do. I have never bought this argument: when scientists sin, we are usually held responsible for it, and no one has any doubts that we should be.
Most of you are acting like it actually IS a crime to be a conservative, white, Christian male, thereby VALIDATING HIS PERSPECTIVE. Just look at how you're responding to this post, people. You're proving him RIGHT by acting like a bunch of, well, liberal pigs. Seriously. You act like the only bias possible is the one against liberals. Hypocrites!
DeleteWhen a student asks leading questions in a clearly aggressive, antagonistic tone, such as whether the instructor is one of those liberal professors destroying America, or demand to know what church the instructor goes to (which frankly is none of his business), what were you expecting? It still should be possible to disagree and still be respectful, and this student clearly was not.
DeleteNo Cookies, I'm not convinced that sexism, homophobia, and rudeness are the same as being conservative or Christian. If you think they are, then perhaps your view of what conservatism and Christianity are is a bit skewed. Moreover, "asshole" isn't a political party.
DeleteDr. Jekyll: "(the fact that he was brilliantly good at essays and exams only further pissed me off)" While I understand this impulse, I do find it disturbing. Each student does deserve to be graded on merit. Yes, his participation grade appears to deserve a low grade, but hoping to punish him with low grades on other items on the basis that he is annoying is ethically dubious.
ReplyDeleteIf you and the other professor have documented that this student is damaging the other students' class experience, then it would seem the formal complaint is the logical option.
Prof. Hyde: I would like to beat some sense into Misogynist Mark. "He talked about how I ought to have been more pro-Christian and less understanding of my atheist and Catholic students." Last time I checked, Catholics considered themselves Christians.
Generally yes, but a great many Protestants do not consider Catholics (or Mormons) to be Real Christians. Oddly enough, I have come across Catholics who use the catholic/christian dichotomy in casual speech.
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